A Father's Scars
by otherrealmwriter
Summary: Professor Membrane reflects on his past and his relationship with Dib. Oneshot.


I don't own Invader Zim okay? I got this idea from SpeakingThroughWrittenWords's Ghost Pains story.

Dib had an insane habit of staking the green foreign kid, as Professor Membrane called it. How he would have loved for Dib to follow in his footsteps but that was as likely as Professor Membrane admitting there's alien life on Earth.

"Son where are you going?" Professor Membrane asked as Dib walked out the door. At the age of 15 Dib started to begin to become more angst ridden and hostile towards his father. Maybe it was the years of disbelief or not being there, but ever since Dib hit puberty, he was the distant one.

"Out. Zim is still going to destroy the world. I can't believe you Dad." Dib said in his angst-ridden voice.

"My poor insane son" Professor Membrane whispered, staring out the window watching Dib head off to Zim's house as usual. "Dib is on a self deluded path." Professor Membrane said heading to the laundry room. "I wasn't like that. My father believed me. My teachers didn't call me insane. I was a good little scientist boy." _Now were you?_ A little voice in his head said.

_Well maybe I wasn't …_ Professor Membrane thought then took of his gloves to be washed. They had bad Iodide and Chlorine stains from his work earlier that day. He always did the wash late at night. No one knew, Dib and Gaz were asleep or out. When he removed the right glove he saw scars that only he had seen. These scars were proof he wasn't too unlike Dib at 15. Then he looked at the scars and shook of any questions or doubts in his mind and said to himself, " My poor insane son will end up like this or worse." But this "Poor insane son" comment made him remember what his father, a minister in Las Vegas, always said-"My poor damned son."

"No wonder I didn't get those 12 cases of uranium 238 I wanted when I was 5" Professor Membrane said in a revelation on his past. This caused him to recall all the times he did anything sciency as a child.

"That's a bad idea," Reverend Membrane said.

"Relax Dad." But as the little not yet Professor Membrane poured battery acid in to a chemical he didn't know what it was, he blew a hole through the roof of his room.

"Thaddeus…" Reverend Membrane started.

'T.J.! Dad my name is T.J.! I hate being called Thaddeus!" The young boy in the white lab coat said.

"Your mother named you Thaddeus after her grandfather who was killed in World War I! I am going to call you that. Your mother and I have been talking and we've decided to send you to St. Peter's School for Boys for your high school education." Reverend Membrane said to his eldest son.

"Dad you're insane! Why do I need a bunch of fat angry nuns telling me a load of bull shit?" Professor Membrane said storming off. (Although he wasn't a professor yet.) He was an atheist since the age of 7 so he didn't believe what his father did.

"My poor damned son." Reverend Membrane said to himself.

"I was just like my father to Dib!" He gasped at the memory brought up by the right hand's scarred knuckles. He looked at the left hand's knuckles once he removed the glove. The reason there was no longer a ring on the finger was he couldn't bear the thought of never seeing his late wife Penelope alive again.

"Thaddeus pay attention! Now what did I say?" Sister Andrea, who looked uncannily like Ms. Bitters, said.

"You were talking about the idea of Transubstantiation. A load of crap!" The young Professor Membrane said.

"Thaddeus!" The nun scolded smacking his hand with the ruler. That was the way it was in every religious theory class from 9th – 12th grade. Then during any prayer he would belch loudly and get scolded with the ruler again. By the time 10th grade came around, he was starting to notice a scarring on the tops of his knuckles, but he was determined to get people to think he was right- just like Dib was. These memories made Professor Membrane think of how he was to Dib. Dib may have been into the paranormal but both of them were in the same situation. They were more alike then they knew. With this he threw the gloves away and decided to only wear them if necessary. Then he waited for Dib to come home.

"What is it Dad?" Dib asked angrily.

"I love you son and I've decided to let you study the paranormal. I will admit I think it's stupid but I've decided to let you walk your own path and not try and force you to be me." Professor Membrane said.

"Hey Dad how come you're not wearing your gloves?" Dib asked. He never saw him without them before.

"They symbolized my shame. Now after some reflection, I've decided not to try and turn Dib Steven Membrane into Thaddeus Jonas Membrane. Besides I don't want you to turn out like me. My father was ashamed and look what happened, I'm scarred for life." Professor Membrane said. "I've decided to spare you so to say. You don't deserve what I got Dib." With this he hugged his eldest child, only son.

With this new fatherly attention Dib started to cry and whispered, " I love you too Dad."


End file.
